Back to the drawing board

Published: Wednesday, December 21, 2011 at 5:05 p.m.

Last Modified: Wednesday, December 21, 2011 at 5:05 p.m.

Henri Boulet has been involved in the push to upgrade La. 1 for years.

He and his organization, the La. 1 Coalition, have been integral in the massive improvements that have already been accomplished, and they are continuing to press the case for further upgrades.

Boulet and the coalition have known high times such as when the new Leeville Bridge was approved, planned and built in a matter of years rather than the decades that most such projects take to go from idea to reality.

And they have known low times such as watching the current La. 1 continue to be eroded by water and become ever more vulnerable to future storms and even sustained southerly winds.

So it is telling that he was so disappointed when the La. 1 project once again failed to get money from the federal government for its next phase of upgrades.

“I was shocked,” Boulet said.

This is the third year in a row that the highway was refused for federal stimulus money. The coalition had sought $18.4 million for part of the upgrade, which will eventually improve and raise the road from Leeville to Golden Meadow. Advocates of the project were optimistic that the request would be approved this time.

First, the project had significant state and local money. The state had promised $20 million, and businesses had committed another $6 million.

Second, unlike previous requests, this one sought significantly less money. While $18.6 million is a large amount of money, in the realm of major road projects, it is a modest sum.

Together with the money from the federal government, the local and state investment would have been the next step in the process. Instead, organizers will again have to return to the drawing board and reassess the future without the help of the federal money.

Instead of helping Louisiana improve and maintain a vital transportation corridor to and from one of the nation’s key oil ports, the federal money will go toward projects such as bike lanes in Idaho and a transit station in Texas.

“It’s just kind of crazy that we were rejected,” Boulet said. “I’m disappointed they didn’t see the bigger picture.”

It is just the latest in a long line of disappointments our region has felt from the federal government. This one, though, particularly hurts because La. 1 is so tied to keeping Port Fourchon and the nation’s oil and gas supply up and running.

Clearly we have had trouble getting the message about La. 1 and our port’s significance across to federal decision makers. Boulet said he will seek further information about why the local request was rejected, a move that could pay off in future money.

<p>Henri Boulet has been involved in the push to upgrade La. 1 for years.</p><p>He and his organization, the La. 1 Coalition, have been integral in the massive improvements that have already been accomplished, and they are continuing to press the case for further upgrades.</p><p>Boulet and the coalition have known high times such as when the new Leeville Bridge was approved, planned and built in a matter of years rather than the decades that most such projects take to go from idea to reality.</p><p>And they have known low times such as watching the current La. 1 continue to be eroded by water and become ever more vulnerable to future storms and even sustained southerly winds.</p><p>So it is telling that he was so disappointed when the La. 1 project once again failed to get money from the federal government for its next phase of upgrades.</p><p>“I was shocked,” Boulet said.</p><p>This is the third year in a row that the highway was refused for federal stimulus money. The coalition had sought $18.4 million for part of the upgrade, which will eventually improve and raise the road from Leeville to Golden Meadow. Advocates of the project were optimistic that the request would be approved this time.</p><p>First, the project had significant state and local money. The state had promised $20 million, and businesses had committed another $6 million.</p><p>Second, unlike previous requests, this one sought significantly less money. While $18.6 million is a large amount of money, in the realm of major road projects, it is a modest sum.</p><p>Together with the money from the federal government, the local and state investment would have been the next step in the process. Instead, organizers will again have to return to the drawing board and reassess the future without the help of the federal money.</p><p>Instead of helping Louisiana improve and maintain a vital transportation corridor to and from one of the nation's key oil ports, the federal money will go toward projects such as bike lanes in Idaho and a transit station in Texas.</p><p>“It's just kind of crazy that we were rejected,” Boulet said. “I'm disappointed they didn't see the bigger picture.”</p><p>It is just the latest in a long line of disappointments our region has felt from the federal government. This one, though, particularly hurts because La. 1 is so tied to keeping Port Fourchon and the nation's oil and gas supply up and running.</p><p>Clearly we have had trouble getting the message about La. 1 and our port's significance across to federal decision makers. Boulet said he will seek further information about why the local request was rejected, a move that could pay off in future money.</p><p>For now, though, this is just more of the same.</p><p>Editorials represent the opinions of</p><p>the newspaper, not of any individual.</p>